How To Catch Crappie

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How To Catch Crappie Main Page

The crappie is my favorite fish to catch. I am passionate about crappie fishing. The crappie is found throughout most of the United States it is a very popular fish with fisherman. In fishing for crappie you most always get many bonus sunfish.

Let me tell you my story. For years I enjoyed the early spring crappie bite (April-May) here in Minnesota. The spring being the time of year crappie migrate to the shallows to spawn and feed. Popular crappie spots during the spring include channels between lakes and shallow bays (where water warms more then the main lake body).

But after this spring shallow water bite I would quit fishing for Crappie , no longer being able to locate the Crappie. Around late May the lakes grow up with weeds in the shallows rendering them unfishable. Several of my favorite lakes and ponds have a thick milfoil weed growth. Oh how I wished I could catch crappie throughout the summer and not just the spring.

I found the answer and it surprized me. For years I had read how the edge of the weed line was a good producer for fish but never really tried , not knowing how to fish this type of structure. First let me define the edge of the weed line . It is the place where the edge of the weed growth ceases. In the lakes I fish the weed line ends when the depth of water reaches 10-12 feet.

One day in my boat I was looking at my lcr depth finder marking the weed line to 10 feet. I threw out an orange marker boy. Set my bobber to about 6 feet threw out the bait near the marker. Down the bobber went, and on the end of my line was a crappie. What luck I thought until more fish were caught and netted. Literally more than half my casts caught fish. Note probably half the fish caught were sunfish (no complaints).

That day I moved to several random spots on the weed line and repeated the same success (near 50% of casts produced a crappie or sunfish). I thought surely this day was just a lucky great day of fishing. But is was not.

I have had many days like this. Maybe not 50% of casts retrieving fish , but very successful days the majority of the time out during the summer. By success I mean a good number of fish to bring home to eat if I chose to, many times I release most and fish just for the fun of it. A spectacular fish meal. There is nothing that beats the taste of a cooked crappie or sunfish!

Don’t go crappie fishing without your marker boy(pictured below)! It is a must!

Before I continue what is the bait to use for Crappie? Well, there are several. I use one. I use a standard 1/32 oz. or 1/64 once plain green or yellow jig head. Northland makes the jigs I use. What do I tip my jigs with? I use the Gulp Alive 1″ / 2 cm Minnow (black and white). The 1″ Gulp Alive minnow in my experience is amazing stuff!!

I no longer buy bait at the bait shop, it is that good. ( Note, I am not affiliate with any manufacture of lures , I am only a reviewer). This method works for sunfish and crappies. For a bobber I like the old fashioned red and white round bobber , about the size of a ping pong ball. No fancy slip bobbers needed.

The simpler and easier it is the more I like it. In learning how to catch fish try this method. I found this method works all summer long for crappie.

Below, a cooler of fresh caught crappie! Nothing is better eating then crappie.

On the left 1/32 oz green jig with gulp alive 1 in minnow and a ping pong ball size boober

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